The present construction of an airline ticket includes up to 9 plies of paper. All the plies are equal in width and have control punch margins on both sides. The plies are glued together across the width of the web every 81/2 inches. In order to reduce the number of across-the-web glue pots required, approximately every other ply down through the set has a series of holes punched in a line across the web so that the glue lines printed on the back of the first ply can adhere to the second ply between the holes, and to the third ply through the holes.
The top ply of the set is carbon coated on the back. This ply is provided to avoid the need for an ink ribbon on the computer.
Cross perforations provide a stub so that the individual plies can be removed from the set one at a time as the ticket is used and also reduce the actual ticket to 73/8 inches in length. This is the requirement of the optical scanner.
A cut is made through all plies across the width of the set but not extending across the control punch margins. In use, the computer trims off the control punch margin from all plies. These longitudinal cuts intersect the cross cut as the ticket issues through the computer with the result that the issued ticket falls completely free from the supply pack of forms.
A first problem with the present construction is the difficulty to trim 9 plies reliably in an office type machine. Blades must be sharp and the form must not have bubbles due to slightly unequal lengths of the various plies. In short, everything must be just right or the trimming becomes poor in quality and troublesome in operation.
The second problem is the stop and go action of the ticket in the computer further aggravates the difficult slitting operation.
A third problem is that the tickets must be trimmed accurately in order to meet the optical scanner requirements on the used tickets. This is difficult when trimming 9 plies.
A fourth problem is the volume of trim which results when trimming both margins of a nine-part form -- this causes real problems in where to store the trim as it comes from the computer, to remove it from the immediate area and how to finally dispose of it.
One ticket issuing computer plans to refold the trim in order to store it in a small space. In order to gain reliability in refolding 9 plies of trim, the plies are glued together with a longitudinal glue line between each ply. These glue lines add stiffness and "tenting" to the forms. In any event, refolding of trim is unreliable.
The life of trimmer blades is short because their condition must be very good to trim 9 plies at all. The most advantageous arrangement is to run the slitter blades so their circumferential speed is at or very slightly above the paper speed. This gives the least pulling effect on the paper and the least rubbing effect on the blades. This arrangement is not possible when the form is indexed through the slitters in a stop and go manner. Here the circumferential speed of the blades must be at least as fast as the paper when it travels at its highest speed. This results in shortened blade life; the more plies that trimmed, the shorter the time the blades remain in good enough condition to cut properly.
According to the invention, the above-mentioned problems are avoided or substantially reduced by minimizing or even eliminating the trimming operation and by eliminating the tenting problem.
In the inventive construction, the bottom ply is full width with the margins or trim portions equipped with the control punch openings and the intermediate plies are narrow in width so that they do not require trimming. In the practice of the invention, the bottom ply acts as a carrier strip for the various other plies and the plies are simultaneously equipped with a line of weakness and adhered together for subsequent processing while being maintained in register by pin belts operating through register openings in the areas adhered together.